Starting our Collections...

With our last year in the UK looming in sight we thought we'd better start our collection of British souveniers to bring back with us. We have recently been getting together with fellow ISEs the Duffy's to attend antique fairs and auctions but I've also been able to find a few jewels at boot sales (the UK equivalent to garage sales). Here are a few things that we've been working on getting:

We got this antique hall bench with mirror and umbrella stand at the Bateman's antique auction in Stamford. I can tell you that I haven't been so nervous since the days of running the 4x800 track relays in high school as when I was bidding at this auction. It was so fast paced and it didn't help having Kevin Duffy sitting there egging me on to bid on things then texting my husband and telling him I bought a dining room table and a piano. (Granted I did bid on an antique piano but it started out at 5 GBP and I bid on it at 25 GBP and it sold for 60 GBP) What was I going to do with a piano right now???

I also bid on this glass display cabinent which Kevin didn't care much for but I saw potential and I will keep you updated on my refurnishing of this little treasure that will hold all my little treasures.

I got this doll house for 5 GBP plus 2 GBP commissions. I hadn't even looked at it before bidding but for a fiver I thought whatever shape it was in I could do something with it and give it to Addison for Christmas or her birthday. It's in a little rough shape but I'm super excited to make it all up for her.

Another impulse buy were these prints of the Bourne church and the Peterborough Cathedral that I got for a total of 4 GBP. I was really wanting just the cathedral as it is the skyline centre piece for Peterborough and a nice memento of the city.

Kevin's primary collection for all the countries, cities and pubs that we visit is to collect beer steins and glasses. I was able to find some Kronenburg and Leffe beer glasses at a boot sale but Kevin finds other creative ways to collect his own. The steins are legitimately purchases of course but otherwise he often asks if he keep the glass when at a pub or restaurant (or somehow he manages to nick one here or there without me knowing).

My prize collection right now are various sets of English china. When visiting a friend of mine's house for a BBQ I saw her amazing collection and it finally came to me what I wanted to start collecting as well. I have been picking up pieces from antique fairs, antique centres, and boot sales. Kevin says I get a bit carried away and he would like to see me take my time and collect similar looking pieces, but I'm a creative sort compared to his structure and order sort so I am finding somewhat similar themes of what they call transferware china but all sorts of colors and pictures.

I really enjoy the blue dishes but not that of the Willow pattern which is an Chinese theme. It's not that they are beautiful but I really like the village and castle scenes.

This is a platter I found featuring old scenes of the Royal Mail as portrayed by the Myott company. I also love the scalloped edges of the plate...I usually snatch up anything with this type of edging.

I do actually look for sets of things like this tea cup set I found with a little rectangular tray plus milk and sugar pot. It came with 11 tea cups, but no tea pot. So I was on a quest to find a matching pot and I lucked out and found the matching one at another antique fair in Lincoln. Since then I've been able to find various platters and trays matching the same prints here and there. I love the pink dishes and they are becoming quite popular now as well.

This amazing platter was a great find and even though it's not English china and was actually made in Japan somewhere, it will be a treasured piece in my collection. It will be my Thanksgiving platter and this year as we celebrate our last Thanksgiving in England it will make it extra special!!!

More to come on new additions to our collections!!!